about me

So ... me. I'm not hugely comfortable writing about myself, which is why this blog isn't really about me. I mean, I used my own name as the title, but that's largely because I am very, very bad at branding. I really shouldn't be in charge of things like that.

So let's talk about the blog instead. This blog is about the concept of voice.​​

our voices

﻿We live in a cluttered world, full of voices - mainly voices telling us to buy things, or voices entertaining us so that we will watch the ads telling us to buy things. Voices on the news - by an ever looser definition of the word news - tell us things all day, every day, but often, they're telling us things that distract from real news, or at the very best, qualify as news but provide no context.​

We live in a cluttered world, full of voices. But increasingly, we don't get to say much ourselves.

Increasingly, we don't get to say much ourselves. We post a lot, sure, but the topic is chosen for us by those other voices, and their most recent area of interest. Even academics, who are allowed vastly more than 140 characters, are limited to topics of current interest; the funding doesn't come through otherwise. There is not much space, except possibly in the arts, for us to tune out - to consider what we really want to think and say.​

There is an additional obstacle to using your own voice if you come from a disadvantaged group. Those voices rarely sell newspapers, or advertising spaces, or books. And yet, if we wanted to live in a happier, more stable and more fulfilling society, those are exactly the voices we should listen to. By and large, I am pretty damn privileged, so I'm at a bit of a loss, there, unless I can help start conversations.​

﻿how to use this blogEngineers can use their skills to help others by designing new technologies; doctors can use their skills to help others by treating the sick and injured. Experienced tailors, or carpenters, or builders can help others by using their hands. I'm a writer, though, and I don't know how to do those sorts of things. (Seriously. The last time I used a screwdriver, I forgot that I'm left handed, and I struggled on with my right for longer than I'm proud of.) I can only help with my voice. And perhaps by helping others find theirs.

So I use this space to tune out, and use my own voice in a quiet space. I would like you to use it the same way. Stop for a moment; read one article; consider what you think. Then consider how you might like to use your voice.

﻿Ultimately, as a writer, I can only help others with my voice. And perhaps by helping others find theirs.